Doctors need more money if David Cameron’s plans to end GPs’ nine-to-five culture is to succeed, their union claimed last night.

The Prime Minister announced that millions of patients will be able to see their GP at evenings and weekends for the first time thanks to an injection of extra cash.

He said more than 7.5million people will benefit from the extended access – and from new consultation methods such as being able to phone or email a GP.

There will also be more tailored care for the over-75s, and a pledge that an extra 5,000 GPs will be employed by 2020.

But the British Medical Association, which represents doctors, said that the £50million announced by the Government to pay for the scheme was simply not enough to ensure the promised extended hours would be affordable in the long-term.

They called for even more money to be given to practices to ensure the extra opening can be continued beyond the year the grant will pay for.

And they said all doctors’ surgeries should benefit from the extra cash – not just those in the pilot areas.

Family doctors benefited from a huge pay rise as a result of Labour’s botched 2004 contract, giving them an average salary of £105,000.

But the vast majority opted out of responsibility for patients at evenings and weekends. The average GP now works fewer hours than before the contract while patients increasingly find it hard to see their GP without taking time off work. This has been blamed, in part, for the surge in attendances at hard-pressed A&E departments.

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Many GPs opted out of evening and weekend care when their new contract system was introduced

The difficultly people have in getting an appointment with their GP is cited as a reason for the increasing pressures on A&E departments

The £50million GP Access Fund, announced by Mr Cameron today, will mean that patients at 1,147 GP practices across England will be able to see their family doctor outside of working hours, including seven-day opening and appointments from 8am to 8pm.

The Prime Minister also announced that about 800,000 people over 75 and those with more serious health complaints will get tailored care, co-ordinated by a single GP.

These patients will also be offered same-day access to a GP when they need it. Mr Cameron said: ‘This is an important step and good news for patients.’

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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the elderly will benefit most from reforms

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the reforms would mostly benefit the elderly.

‘People want to know that their parents and relatives will get constant care if they have a long-term condition. Many doctors already give great care but I want to make sure this is completely co-ordinated to head off problems and keep people from going to hospital unnecessarily.’

But Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association’s general practice committee, warned that the £50million funding only covered a minority of practices, and was only for one year – meaning there was no ‘assurance of these changes being affordable in future years’.

‘General practice is currently under intense pressure from escalating patient demand and falling resources,’ he said.

‘These changes will need to be properly supported. Ministers must also deliver on their commitment to increase resources in the community so that there are more GPs, nurses and other health and social care services to provide co-ordinated care to the escalating number of patients who need care closer to home.’

The British Medical Association is arguing surgeries need more money for the shift to be feasible

NHS must listen...or face a repeat of Mid Staffs scandal

Lessons must be learned from Mid Staffs scandal, MPs warned

Commons committee claims there is a culture of denial in NHS

Warning comes on the back of report revealing thousands of elderly are 'suffering in silence' on hospital wards

Tragedies like the Mid Staffs scandal could be repeated unless there is a revolution in the way the public sector deals with complaints, MPs warned last night.

A Commons committee found there was a culture of denial among managers in councils, schools and the health service – meaning they take little notice of criticism.

Their failure to listen is so bad that aggrieved members of the public simply believe there is no point in making complaints, MPs found.

Tragedies like the Mid Staffs scandal could be repeated unless lessons are learned by the public sector

The report from the Commons public administration select committee comes a week after England’s top health watchdog warned that tens of thousands of elderly people were ‘suffering in silence’ on NHS wards because they were too polite to ‘make a fuss’.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Dame Julie Mellor, the health service ombudsman, called for a ‘significant cultural shift’ in the way complaints are handled.

The MPs’ report also highlighted the failures that were exposed in the damning review by Robert Francis QC on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, where up to 1,200 died amid appalling neglect.

Tens of thousands of elderly people are 'suffering in silence' on wards, according to a report. Stock image

It called on ministers to force a culture change across the public sector to prevent future tragedies.Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin said: ‘There needs to be a revolution in the way public services are run, and how the public perceives government.

Bernard Jenkin: 'There needs to be a revolution in the way public services are run'

‘As things are, most people believe there is no point in complaining. Unless and until we have a culture of leadership in public services that listens to, values and responds to complaints from service users and staff, there will always be the potential for tragedies like Mid Staffs.’

The committee recommended a minister for complaints should be introduced, along with a dedicated unit to deal with grievances about government agencies. Its report, More Complaints Please, found public sector managers viewed complaints as ‘hostile criticism’ rather than a chance to tackle problems.

MPs called for a culture where complaints are valued and suggested the Cabinet Office work with high performing private sector companies to find the best ways of dealing with the issue.

The committee also attacked the public sector for using euphemistic words such as ‘feedback’ instead of ‘complaint’, saying they give the impression that concerns are not being taken on board.

Last night Dame Julie said: ‘The findings present an opportunity for organisations to deal more effectively with complaints and develop ways to learn from those mistakes.

‘Good complaint handling has to start from the top, and strong leaders will recognise the valuable opportunities complaints provide to really improve.’

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: ‘It’s essential for better public services that the Government makes it easier and more effective for people to complain.

‘Giving people a single point of contact and having a minister who is responsible should give people more confidence that complaints do count.’

The report by Dame Julie Mellor, left, echoed some of the concerns of Robert Francis's earlier review, right